Snapchat’s Update Brings New (and Ridiculous) Features To Users

Editor’s Note: This post was updated May 1, 2014 with the announcement of additional new features. Please scroll down to read more about video chat and new text messaging features.

Snapchat released yet another update recently. Snapchat, the popular social networking site that allows users to send ten seconds videos and pictures to each other for one-time viewing, recently released a massive update to provide users with new options.

Here’s the scoop on the latest features:

In order to access the new features, users must access the Snapchat settings page within the app. Users should see something similar to the screenshot on the left.

Smart Filters

Perhaps the most ridiculous of all of the updates in the smart filters option. Once a user takes a Snapchat, they can swipe to the left to reveal information such as the time, temperature, and speed at which they’re traveling. If you know me, you know that I love to point out the ridiculousness within things. I’ve recently sent snaps with the temperature to all of my friends just to point out just how ridiculous this feature is. I also think that having a filter with how fast you’re going just encourages me to Snapchat while driving. The app even warns you of this! I’m not guilty of this….yet.

Visual Filters

To mimic Instagram, you can now add filters to your snapchats. By swiping to the right after a picture or video has been taken, filters can be added to your pictures. You can think of this as super speedy Instagram Direct.

Front-Facing Flash

Perfect for your late night selfies, right? Front facing flash allows you to brighten up pictures you take in a dark environment. By making your screen completely white and then taking the picture, Snapchat has made late night snapping even easier.

How many new features can Snapchat add?

Replay

As a self-proclaimed Snapchat addict, I’ve taken the risk of watching videos without sound because I was in an environment unfitting for audio (aka class). Snapchat now allows you to rewatch a Snapchat of your choosing once per day. Be careful what you want to watch again, you can’t do it very often!

Special Text

In case writing text with your finger or typing in a message wasn’t enough, you can now add obnoxiously large text to any snapchat! Although I don’t see the real purpose behind this feature, you can now enable it with the new update.

Best Friends

You can never have enough best friends, right? Rather than the default three best friends you can have on Snapchat, you can change this to five or seven. This makes snapping your best buds even easier.

Overall, some of these options are pretty useful. The front-facing camera, best friends, and replay options all have clear benefits. Others seem just as silly as the initial idea of the app.

But seriously, really?

Sample confused selfie with the new Snapchat update

What do you think of the new Snapchat features? Let us know in the comments below!

Updated May 1st, 2014

Snapchat Adds Disappearing Text Messaging and Video Calls

Snapchat released a new feature that really adds the chat feature to Snapchat. The app has now introduced a feature that allows users to type messages back and forth between each other. Users have to ability to click and hold on individual messages to save what’s important, while the rest of the messages disappear . (It’s Snapchat, do you think the messages would really stay there?) The send button will illuminate blue when both users are in the chat window, indicating they’re both looking at the same screen at the same time.

This enables yet another feature, a video chat feature, to both users. Users can video chat each other by clicking and holding the button. A different user experience is revealed within this picture as users can switch between a front and rear facing camera simply by where they position their video on the screen. The video chat feature allows two people to quickly share video with each other, while also being able to chat with each other. For more information, click here.